JEM - Finally Woken

Welsh-born singer and London transplant JEM has a well-rounded resume in the music industry: club promoter, singer-songwriter and DJ agent. She even set up and ran the specialist breaks label 'Marine Parade.' With that kind of experience, one would think that she would have enough artistic resources to put together a stunning album. JEM's debut full-length CD Finally Woken does not disappoint.

The last few years have been exceptional for JEM. She co-wrote the song "Nothing Fails" from Madonna's 2003 album American Life, which was culled from the album as a single with some excellent remixes from the likes of dance music luminaries such as Peter Rauhofer, Tracy Young and Jason Nevins.

After the release of an EP entitled It All Starts Here in 2003, Dave Matthews' ATO record label took notice and signed JEM immediately. This stroke of luck led to interest from the then-fledgling FOX T.V. show The O.C. The show used numerous tracks in the first season and offered JEM an appearance on the show's first season finale. Since that time, two of JEM's songs have appeared on the O.C. Soundtracks Mix 1 and Mix 2: the cover of Wings' Maybe I'm Amazed and one track from Finally Woken, Just a Ride.

All of this exposure led up to the release of Finally Woken: an album with a great mix of chill and more uptempo tunes. The CD starts out with the lead single They. This single was the first tune I heard from JEM and I was duly impressed. The song is a great mixture of JEM's vocals, interesting instrumentation and beats. The mixes of They are reviewed elsewhere on this site, although the original is still my favorite.

JEM's hip-hop influences are evident on a few tracks, including Come On Closer with its fat beats and crunchy guitars and Just a Ride. If you enjoy the beats of hip-hop, but not the vocals/rhymes themselves, you'll enjoy these two tracks. Other highlights include the reggae-influenced Save Me and the slow, but gorgeous Falling for You.

For those of you who expect original songs with a 4/4 house beat, don't look for that here. For those who are looking for an excellent new(ish) female artist with good songwriting skills and a diverse listening experience, you'll see JEM as a great find. Hopefully ATO will see the potential and commission some mainstream remixes from this album for future release. They would be wise to do so.